World

Militants have attacked an army base near a military academy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing at least five soldiers.

A defence ministry spokesman told the BBC that 10 other Afghan soldiers were injured.

Five militants were involved, said the spokesman. Four were killed in the attack, but one was arrested.

The attack has been claimed by the Islamic State (IS), according to the militant group's Amaq news agency.

It comes days after the deadliest bombing for months hit Kabul when an ambulance packed with explosives killed at least 100 people.

Islamic State and the Taliban have increased their attacks on targets in the country in recent days.

Several explosions were heard, as well as small arms fire, as the attack began at about 05:00 local time (00:30 GMT) at a military base of the Afghan National Army in the west of Kabul.

Defence Ministry spokesman Gen Dawlat Waiziri told the BBC two attackers had blown themselves up, two others were killed by security forces and another one was arrested.

Four AK-47s, one suicide vest and one rocket-launcher were seized, he said.

Source : BBC

China on Thursday announced it successfully cloned world' s first macaques from somatic cells by method that made Dolly. It makes research with customizable populations of genetically uniform monkeys a possibility.

The two cloned macaques, named Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, were produced at the non-human-primate research facility under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at the end of 2017. A third is due this month and more this year, said scientists.

The initial research was published on the website of the scientific journal, Cell.

Since Dolly the sheep was successfully cloned from an adult cell in 1997, other mammals have also been cloned, but macaques, which are closely related to humans, have been a challenge.

Sun Qiang, director of the CAS non-human-primate research facility, led a group of researchers for three years to overcome the biological difficulties.

Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua are the product of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), the technique used to create Dolly the sheep over 20 years ago.

Researchers edited genes in vitro and accurately sifted and produced somatic cells with the same genotype. They removed the nucleus from an egg cell and replaced it with another nucleus from differentiated body cells.

The reconstructed eggs produced embryos, which were put into the wombs of surrogate female monkeys, producing a group of cloned monkeys with the same genetic background.

The first author Liu Zhen, a postdoctoral fellow, spent three years practicing and optimizing the SCNT procedure. He tested various methods to quickly and precisely remove the nuclear materials from the egg cell and promote the fusion of the nucleus-donor cell and enucleated egg.

"The SCNT procedure is rather delicate, so the faster you do it, the less damage to the egg you have, and Dr. Liu has a green thumb for doing this," said Sun.

This success means China will pioneer in disease and brain science research by taking cloned macaques as animal models, said Muming Poo, a co-author on the study who directs the Institute of Neuroscience of CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology.

"This is a key development in studying primate biology and making models of non-human primates," said Bai Chunli, president of the CAS.

The models designed for brain diseases will shed light on their study, intervention and even treatments.

At present, the lack of treatments for most brain diseases can be attributed to the fact that the mice widely used in labs have a noticeable gap with humans in genome types. Medicines coming out of the labs are often inefficacious or cause side-effects. But cloned monkey models will make a difference.

Researchers agree that primate research models have a major role to play in many fields. "For the Ebola virus, therapies based on monkey model studies have proved effective and the ongoing study of the Zika virus could prove similar," said Poo.

China has listed the brain science program as a key project for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) and is working to become a world leader in primate research.

Central and local governments have supported the development of high-tech primate facilities in cities like Suzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Kunming over the past decade.

The cloned monkey models will advance non-human primate model making in China, said Poo. In future, China will be a hub for pharmaceutical research centers where companies will test new treatments for brain diseases, immunodeficiency or tumors on non-human primate models.

"We plan to produce more cloned monkeys designed for gene-related brain diseases, such as the Alzheimer' s, Parkinson's disease and autism. It will give us an international edge in the research of primate brains," Poo added.

The clone babies are currently bottle-fed and are growing normally compared to monkeys their age. The lab is following strict international guidelines for animal research set by the US National Institutes of Health.

"We are very aware that future research using non-human primates anywhere in the world depends on scientists following very strict ethical standards. That' s why cloned monkey models are valuable, but production also needs monitoring," said Poo. "Any abusive use could cause trouble."

Source : Xinhua

One of the world's richest men, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, has been released two months after being detained in Saudi Arabia's anti-corruption purge.

He was freed after a financial settlement was approved by the state prosecutor, an official said.

Prince Alwaleed was held in November by a new anti-corruption body headed by the Saudi crown prince.

More than 200 princes, politicians, and wealthy businessmen were detained in the crackdown.

Since then, they have been held in the Ritz Carlton hotel in Riyadh, which is due to reopen on 14 February.

Prince Alwaleed is the most high-profile detainee to have been released so far. Speaking to Reuters news agency before his release he said that no charges had been laid against him and expressed support for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The multi-billionaire has a vast array of business interests across the world, including holdings in Twitter and Apple.

In November, Forbes estimated his net worth at about $17bn (£13bn), making him the 45th richest man in the world.

Officials say he will remain as head of his company, Kingdom Holding.

Other high-profile figures that have been set free include Waleed al-Ibrahim, the head of MBC television network, and Khalid al-Tuwaijiri, a former chief of the royal court.

They have paid substantial financial settlements, reports say - though the amounts have not been made public.

Source : BBC News

A packed commuter train has derailed near the northern Italian city of Milan, leaving at least three people dead and around 10 seriously injured.

Several people were rescued from the wreckage of the carriages that derailed next to the Pioltello Limito station in the morning rush hour.

A problem with a track point is being investigated as a possible cause, police say.

Witnesses said the train trembled for a few minutes before the accident.

The Trenord train, carrying some 100 people, was heading to Milan's Porta Garibaldi station from Cremona when it derailed at about 07:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

The train was travelling at normal speed when the accident happened, a spokesperson for Trenord told Reuters news agency.

Source : BBC News

Riverside homes and businesses in Paris are on high alert as the swollen River Seine threatens to overflow its banks.

Some basements in the city have already sprung leaks after the river surged following heavy rainfall, reports said.

The Seine is forecast to swell even further this weekend, adding several metres of water above its normal level.

Many roads in the region are already waterlogged. Boat traffic - including the capital's famous tourist cruises - has also been interrupted.

The water level in the river is expected to peak at around 6m (19ft 6in), which is at least 4m above its normal level.

The statue of a Crimean soldier - known as the Zouave - on the Pont de l'Alma has long been used as a marker for water levels in the city.

On Friday, the water was at its mid-thigh - not as high as the 1910 floods, which reached his neck and submerged the city for two months.

A busy commuter train service, the RER C, has been suspended until next week.

Meanwhile, the Louvre museum has closed a lower level housing the Islamic Arts.

In the suburb of Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, flooding forced some residents into boats to move along the roads.

The flooding is also forcing movement of another city resident - the rat population.

Rodents are being flushed out of the Parisian sewers, media outlet France 24 reports - making the city's rat infestation much more visible than usual.

The recent December-January period is now the third-wettest on record, according to France's national weather service.

Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo said the city was coping - but said that the flooding, coupled with recent summer heatwaves, was "clearly a question of the town adapting to climate change".

She also warned that the high water levels would remain into next week, as water levels "subside slowly" due to the waterlogged soil in the region.

Source : BBC

A shooting at a southwest Kentucky high school on Tuesday morning has left two students dead and 17 injured, said Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin.

Bevin told a press conference at Marshall County Board of Education that the shooter was a 15-year-old male student, who was taken into custody and would be charged with murder and attempted murder.

He urged people to be patient for more details and not to jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

"Fourteen people were wounded, two of them fatally, after a shooter opened fire Tuesday morning at Marshall County High School," Bevin said, adding another five people sustained other injuries.

A female student was shot dead at the scene while another male student died in hospital, said the governor.

Local police have started to search the home of the suspect, trying to find the motive for the shooting.

In a statement the governor issued earlier, he said "this is a tremendous tragedy and speaks to the heartbreak present in our communities. It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County."

Local police responded to the shooting around 8:00 a.m. (1400 GMT) and the scene was soon secured. The suspect was arrested without resistance.

Students at the high school were later bussed to a nearby middle school for parents to pick them up.

Amid the chaos following the shooting, many students had no time to take their cell phones from backpacks during the evacuation, which made parents very anxious to contact with their kids, local television channel WPSD-6 reported.

Helicopters were seen landing at the school to treat the wounded.

Source: Xinhua

At least 37 people have been killed and more than 70 injured in a fire at a hospital in South Korea.

The blaze is thought to have started in the emergency room at Sejong Hospital in the south-eastern city of Miryang.

About 200 patients were inside the building and an adjoining nursing home at the time.

It is South Korea's deadliest fire in almost a decade and the death toll is expected to rise with several of the injured in critical condition.

Firefighters said the victims appeared to have died from smoke inhalation. Three hospital medical staff - a doctor, nurse and nursing assistant - are among the victims.

Authorities have given varying death tolls, with police earlier saying 41 had died, but fire officials and hospital sources now say at least 37 are dead.

Miryang is about 270km (168 miles) south-east of the capital, Seoul.

Source : BBC News

Tokyo experienced its heaviest snowfall in four years this week and other parts of Japan will see sea-effect snow pile up through this week.

An area of low pressure tracked just south of Japan and brought heavy snowfall to the Tokyo area to start this week. This system has now pulled away from Honshu.

Dry and mostly sunny conditions developed Tuesday, but slippery travel remained a concern.

Chilly temperatures will be in place in the Tokyo area Thursday and Friday with highs just above freezing.

Tokyo picked up 23 centimeters, about 9 inches, of snowfall on Monday, making it the heaviest snowfall there since February 2014 when 27 centimeters, or 10.6 inches, was measured. That was also the last time a heavy snow warning was issued for the city.

 The heaviest snowfall fell late Monday afternoon into Monday night and impacted the evening commute.

Temperatures reached the upper 40s Fahrenheit, or almost 10 degrees Celsius, on Tuesday, allowing some of the snowfall to melt.

More Snow Ahead?

Locations near the Sea of Japan will continue to experience sea-effect snowfall over the next week. This sea-effect snowfall will be locally heavy at times and will likely result in feet of snow in many spots.

Sea-effect snowfall is similar to lake-effect snowfall. In this case, cold temperatures from Siberia spread toward Japan with northwesterly winds and the Sea of Japan is the moisture source. The higher elevations of the mountains near the coast of the Sea of Japan also enhance snowfall due to upslope flow.

Through Wednesday, 2 feet of snow is possible in the prefectures of Niigata and Toyama, while up to 30 inches may accumulate during this period in Ishikawa prefecture, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The chance of snow will continue into early next week, which will add to these snowfall totals.

Heavy snow and snow storm warnings have been issued for much of the coastal areas of Honshu near the Sea of Japan, from Ishikawa prefecture northward, through Wednesday. Portions of western Hokkaido are also under snow storm warnings until at least early Wednesday.

Japan's Sea of Japan side typically sees heavy snowfall in the winter, so this snowy forecast is not unusual.

But snow is more unusual in the Tokyo area due to its location closer to the Pacific Ocean and on the east side of the mountains, as well as its lower elevation. In fact, accumulating snow does not occur here every year.

The average annual snowfall for Tokyo is less than 2 inches. The most common time of the year for snow is January into February when average low temperatures are close to the freezing mark.

Source : weather.com

Men will face fines of up to £80 if they comment on a woman's body or appearance in public.

The new proposals put forward to the French government are aimed at combatting the levels of harassment rife on the streets of the country's cities.

The new bill is the brainchild of France's Secretary of State for Equality Marlene Schiappa.

An £80 fine will be issued to anyone who behaves in a manner which 'infringes the freedom of movement of women in public spaces and undermines self-esteem and the right to security'.

Politicians have been putting their heads together for a report on how to tackle the issue and define what constitutes 'sexual outrage', according to The Local.

This has been the foundation of the plans drawn up to eradicate what is described as everyday sexism in France.

It had been suggested wolf-whistling would be punishable with on-the-spot fines, but the new report makes no reference to it.

However the planned measures want to give authorities the power to dish out penalties to those who follow women down the street, block their paths or make lout and lewd comments regarding their physique or the way they look.

The issue is heightened on public transport in major cities, with women opting to wear trousers instead of skirts for fear of being groped.

Since the new law has been discussed, a stream of women have come forward to say how they have been sexually assaulted in shops, on the metro and on the streets of Paris.

The £80 (€90) fine is said to increase to £120 if it is not paid within two weeks and could increase further to £325 if payment is late.

It is the brainchild of France's Secretary of State for Equality Marlene Schiappa, who lobbied for what she described as the everyday sexism in France to be addressed.

The bill is expected to be presented to parliament next week after she and two other ministers - Minister of Justice, Nicole Belloubet, and Minister of the Interior, Gerard Collomb - cast their eyes over the final draft.

(Daily Mail)

Russian presidential candidate and former reality TV star Ksenia Sobchak has called for the legalization of marijuana, saying it was less dangerous for society than vodka.

Sobchak is running on an "against all" platform from the Civic Initiative Party in Russia’s presidential elections next March. She is the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, the first democratically-elected mayor of St. Petersburg and a former mentor of President Vladimir Putin.

 At a meeting with supporters in Kaliningrad on Monday, Sobchak said that the legalization of marijuana could help solve "the narcotics epidemic" in Russia.

"I myself don't use it, but I don't drink vodka by the bottle, either," Lenta.ru reported her as saying, citing the state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

"I don't really understand why drinking vodka in enormous quantities is considered normal in our country, but using marijuana is not, though it has far fewer consequences, even from the perspective of crime statistics," she added.

Andrei Khrapov, the chief of narcotics control at Russia’s Interior Ministry, said the government opposed such legalization and saw neither advantages nor medical benefits from drugs such as cannabis.

A Brazilian court has upheld the conviction of the former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for corruption and money laundering, in a ruling that complicates his plans to run for a third term and marks an extraordinary change of fortune for the most popular leader in modern Brazilian history.

Three judges at the appeals court in Porto Alegre voted unanimously on Wednesday to uphold the sentence that Lula was handed by a lower court, and increased the penalty from nine and a half years to 12 years and one month.

The ruling prompted protests across Brazil, and protesters set fire to tyres and blocked streets in Porto Alegre and São Paulo.

Lula leads early polls for October’s presidential election, but the latest court decision means that he could be barred from running.

The former union leader says he is innocent and the process is politically motivated to stop him from standing for an election. His supporters have called it an attack on democracy.

Lula’s lawyers Cristiano Martins and Valeska Martins attacked the verdict and pledged to refer a complaint to the United Nations human rights committee.

“The whole process from the very beginning has been a legal farce masquerading as justice,” they said in a statement.

Lula served two mandates from 2003-2010, then helped his Workers’ party successor Dilma Rousseff win two more, before she was impeached for breaking budget rules in 2016 in a controversial process she denounced as a “coup”.

She joined leftists and jurists across the world in attacking the legal proceedings against Lula. Even Diego Maradona posted a selfie on Facebook holding a Brazil team shirt with “LULA and 18”, captioned: “Dear Lula, Diego is with you.”

The verdict confirmed a sentence handed to Lula in July by Sérgio Moro – a campaigning judge known for tough sentencing in corruption cases and increased jail time.

Lula was found guilty of receiving a seaside duplex apartment worth about £540,000 ($755,000) from a construction company called OAS. Prosecutors said the gift was part of a multibillion-dollar bribe scheme controlled by the former president at the state-run oil company Petrobras.

Lula’s lawyers argued that he never owned the apartment and said they would appeal against the decision.

João Gebran Neto, the judge leading the verdict, placed the apartment into the wider context of the graft network, which cost Petrobras billions of dollars.

“The defendant in truth was the guarantor of the bigger scheme, for which he acted behind the scenes, which aimed in a surreptitious way to increase the financing of parties,” he said.

The decision means Lula is legally ineligible to stand under a “clean slate” law, said Silvana Batini, a professor of electoral law at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro.

Source : The Guardian

US President Donald Trump reportedly uses an accent to imitate Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Senior administration officials told The Washington Post that Trump has been known to “affect an Indian accent” to quote Modi, who last year condemned U.S. activity in Afghanistan during a private meeting with Trump.

“Never has a country given so much away for so little in return,” Modi said at the time.

The U.S. Army is currently preparing to increase its presence in Afghanistan by as many as 1,000 more troops, according to the Post. Trump has already added at least 5,500 service members since taking office.
The Post's report about Trump using an accent to imitate Modi comes on the tails of his reported “shithole countries” remark during a private meeting with lawmakers to refer to immigration from Haiti, El Salvador and some African nations.

At an event honoring Native American Code Talkers in November, Trump referred to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as “Pocahontas,” which many consider to be a racial slur, to refer to her claimed Native American heritage.